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Sugar, Dyes and ADHD

Sugar, Dyes and ADHD

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Chesapeake Bay Academy's Community of Professionals
Industry news and information about professional events. Collaborate, network, learn about new opportunities, and share your knowledge and expertise with other professionals focused on serving the special education community in Hampton Roads. Thank you for being part of our professional community, we hope you enjoy this month's article.

What is it that causes kids to lose focus and struggle to concentrate or finish a task? Doctors and parents have been looking into potential links between children’s diets and ADHD for decades, and there are a number of different theories available. Depending on what you search for, you can find any number of different diets and specialty products that promise to treat hyperactivity in children. Most “diets” for children with ADHD focus on cutting out added sweeteners, natural and artificial dyes, and other potentially harmful food additives. While there is anecdotal evidence that a small percentage of children can benefit from these special diets, there is little hard science to back up the claims that any of them actually work.

Sugar has been villainized as the cause of hyperactivity and bad behavior in children and teens for quite some time. While there are occasional instances of children who show true sugar intolerances, multiple scientific studies have shown that sugar intake does not directly affect a child’s behavior. That being said, children who consume a diet high in added sugars are often filling up on empty calories and missing out on vital nutrients. Children in the United States frequently consume a lot of added sugars in sweet breakfast foods, snacks marketed to children, and sweetened beverages such as juice and soda.

The argument to limit food dyes in an attempt to affect behavior is more strongly supported...